Reviving the SMCM Healing Garden

Abstract

Since the first Earth Day in the 1970s, countries around the world have been taking steps toward a greener planet and toward a more sustainable lifestyle. A relatively young concept within the realm of sustainability initiatives is that of integrated landscaping, loosely defined as the design of a space so that natural ecosystem elements are enhanced and/or mimicked for a domestic human setting. Sustainability efforts like these have become an increasingly popular focal point on college campuses, including St. Mary’s College of Maryland (SMCM). Healing gardens are spaces that reconnect users with nature and that provide a physical or psychological restorative effect. As of late, SMCM's healing garden has fallen victim to neglect and is no longer a functional site. Through this document, I aim to highlight the topics of sustainability, of sustainable landscaping, and of healing gardens, and to propose the process by which the SMCM healing [garden] can be restored to a greater level of functionality via integrated landscaping methods for the benefit of campus residences and the local community.